Manufacturing method of fabric with carbon nanotube fiber

ABSTRACT

A manufacturing method of a fabric with carbon nanotube fibers is provided. The method includes the following steps. Carbon nanotubes are grown on a substrate. A drawing processing is performed on the carbon nanotubes to form carbon nanotube fibers. A spinning processing is performed on the carbon nanotube fibers to form carbon nanotube fiber yarns. A weaving process is performed on the carbon nanotube fiber yarns.

BACKGROUND Technical Field

The present invention relates to a fabric and a manufacturing methodthereof, and particularly relates to a fabric with carbon nanotubefibers and a manufacturing method thereof.

Description of Related Art

In today's textile industry, fabrics with various functions have beenwidely used. By interweaving different types of fibers to form a fabric,the fabric can have different functions. For example, fibers with highheat resistance and high abrasion resistance may be used infire-fighting clothing, heat-insulating gloves, and fire-resistantblankets. In addition, various fabrics with hydrophilic, hydrophobic,conductive, antistatic, and anti-ultraviolet properties also have a widerange of applications. Therefore, how to improve the above-mentionedcharacteristics of the fabric has become one of the urgent researchtopics in the industry.

SUMMARY

The present invention provides a fabric with carbon nanotube fibers,which is woven from carbon nanotube fibers.

The present invention provides a manufacturing method of a fabric withcarbon nanotube fibers, in which carbon nanotube fibers are used forweaving.

A fabric with carbon nanotube fibers of the present invention has astructure in which warp yarns and weft yarns are interwoven with eachother, wherein at least one of the warp yarns and the weft yarnscomprises carbon nanotube fibers.

In an embodiment of the fabric of the present invention, a metal layeris disposed on the surfaces of the carbon nanotube fibers.

In an embodiment of the fabric of the present invention, the carbonnanotube fibers contain nitrogen dopants or boron dopants.

In an embodiment of the fabric of the present invention, the carbonnanotube fibers contain natural fiber material.

In an embodiment of the fabric of the present invention, the naturalfiber material includes cotton, linen, wool, rabbit hair, silk, tencelor coffee.

In an embodiment of the fabric of the present invention, the diameter ofthe carbon nanotube fibers is between 10 nm and 100 nm.

In an embodiment of the fabric of the present invention, the density ofthe carbon nanotube fibers is between 0.5 g/cm³ and 1.8 g/cm³.

In an embodiment of the fabric of the present invention, the material ofthe weft yarns is the same as the material of the warp yarns.

In an embodiment of the fabric of the present invention, the material ofthe weft yarns is different from the material of the warp yarns.

In an embodiment of the fabric of the present invention, one of the warpyarns and the weft yarns includes carbon nanotube fibers, and the otherof the warp yarns and the weft yarns includes cotton fiber yarn, linenfiber yarn, wool fiber yarn, rabbit hair fiber yarn, silk fiber yarn,tencel fiber yarn, coffee fiber Yarn, nylon fiber yarn, polyester fiberyarn, rayon fiber yarn, acrylic fiber yarn or polyurethane fiber yarn.

In an embodiment of the fabric of the present invention, the diameter ofthe fiber constituting the other of the warp yarns and the weft yarns isbetween 10 nm and 10⁶ nm.

A manufacturing method of a fabric with carbon nanotube fibers of thepresent invention includes the following steps. Carbon nanotubes aregrown on a substrate. A drawing processing is performed on the carbonnanotubes to form carbon nanotube fibers. A spinning processing isperformed on the carbon nanotube fibers to form carbon nanotube fiberyarns. A weaving process is performed on the carbon nanotube fiberyarns.

In an embodiment of the manufacturing method of the present invention, anitrogen doping or a boron doping is further performed during the growthof the carbon nanotubes.

In an embodiment of the manufacturing method of the present invention, ametal layer is further formed on the surfaces of the carbon nanotubesafter forming the carbon nanotubes but before the drawing process.

In an embodiment of the manufacturing method of the present invention, amethod of forming the metal layer includes an electroplating process.

In an embodiment of the manufacturing method of the present invention,the carbon nanotubes is further mixed with natural fiber material afterforming the carbon nanotubes but before the drawing process.

In an embodiment of the manufacturing method of the present invention,the natural fiber material includes cotton, linen, wool, rabbit hair,silk, tencel or coffee.

In an embodiment of the manufacturing method of the present invention,the diameter of the carbon nanotube fibers is between 5 nm and 100 nm.

In an embodiment of the manufacturing method of the present invention,the density of the carbon nanotube fibers is between 0.5 g/cm³ and 1.8g/cm³.

In an embodiment of the manufacturing method of the present invention,the carbon nanotube fiber yarns are used as one of the warp yarns andthe weft yarns, and the material of the weft yarns is different from thematerial of the warp yarns during the weaving process.

In an embodiment of the manufacturing method of the present invention,one of the warp yarns and the weft yarns includes carbon nanotubefibers, and the other of the warp yarns and the weft yarns includescotton fiber yarn, linen fiber yarn, wool fiber yarn, rabbit hair fiberyarn, silk fiber yarn, tencel fiber yarn, coffee fiber yarn, nylon fiberyarn, polyester fiber yarn, rayon fiber yarn, acrylic fiber yarn orpolyurethane fiber yarn.

In an embodiment of the manufacturing method of the present invention,the diameter of the fiber constituting the other of the warp yarns andthe weft yarns is between 10 nm and 10⁶ nm.

In an embodiment of the manufacturing method of the present invention,the material of the weft yarns is the same as the material of the warpyarns.

Based on the above, in the fabric of the present invention, yarnscontaining carbon nanotubes are used as warp yarns and/or weft yarns.Therefore, depending on the characteristics of carbon nanotubes, thefabric of the present invention may have characteristics such ashydrophilic, hydrophobic, conductive, antistatic, and ultraviolet light.

To make the aforementioned more comprehensible, several embodimentsaccompanied with drawings are described in detail as follows.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings are included to provide a furtherunderstanding of the disclosure, and are incorporated in and constitutea part of this specification. The drawings illustrate exemplaryembodiments of the disclosure and, together with the description, serveto explain the principles of the disclosure.

FIG. 1 is a manufacturing flow chart of a fabric with carbon nanotubefibers according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic top view of a fabric with carbon nanotube fibersaccording to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a schematic top view of a fabric with carbon nanotube fibersaccording to another embodiment of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

The embodiments are described in detail below with reference to theaccompanying drawings, but the embodiments are not intended to limit thescope of the present invention. In addition, the drawings are forillustrative purposes only and are not drawn to the original dimensions.For the sake of easy understanding, the same elements in the followingdescription will be denoted by the same reference numerals.

In addition, the terms mentioned in the text, such as “comprising”,“including”, “containing” and “having” are all open-ended terms, i.e.,meaning “including but not limited to”.

In the present invention, yarns containing at least carbon nanotubes areused as warp yarns and/or weft yarns and woven to form a fabric withcarbon nanotube fibers. Since the formed fabric contains carbonnanotubes, depending on the characteristics of the carbon nanotubes, theformed fabric may have the characteristics of hydrophilic, hydrophobic,conductive, antistatic, and UV resistant. The fabric with carbonnanotube fibers of the present invention and the manufacturing methodthereof will be described below.

FIG. 1 is a manufacturing flow chart of a fabric with carbon nanotubefibers according to an embodiment of the present invention. Referring toFIG. 1, in step 100, carbon nanotubes are grown on a substrate. Thesubstrate may be a silicon oxide substrate. The method of growing carbonnanotubes is, for example, a chemical vapor deposition (CVD) process.During the growth of carbon nanotubes, the parameters of the depositionprocess may be adjusted to obtain carbon nanotubes with the requireddiameter and the required growth density. In addition, before performingthe deposition process, a layer of metal particles may be formed on thesubstrate as a catalytic layer. The material of the metal particles is,for example, iron, nickel, cobalt, aluminum or a combination thereof. Bycontrolling the distribution of metal particles, the physical propertiessuch as the diameter and growth density of the formed carbon nanotubesmay be further adjusted.

In addition, during the growth of the carbon nanotubes, a dopingtreatment may be optionally performed in-situ. For example, during thegrowth of the carbon nanotubes, a nitrogen doping or a boron doping maybe performed in-situ to adjust the conductivity type of the formedcarbon nanotubes. When the nitrogen doping is performed in-situ duringthe growth of the carbon nanotubes, N-type carbon nanotubes may beformed, and when the boron doping is performed in-situ during the growthof the carbon nanotubes, P-type carbon nanotubes may be formed.

Next, in step 102, a metal layer may be optionally formed on thesurfaces of the formed carbon nanotubes. The method of forming the metallayer is, for example, an electroplating process. The metal layer may bea gold layer, a copper layer, a silver layer, an iron layer, or acombination thereof. After the metal layer is formed on the surfaces ofthe carbon nanotubes, the carbon nanotubes may have the characteristicsof the metal layer, and therefore, the fabric formed subsequently mayalso have the characteristics of the metal layer. Of course, dependingon actual needs, step 102 may also be omitted.

Then, in step 104, a drawing process is performed on the formed carbonnanotubes to form carbon nanotube fibers. The steps of the drawingprocess includes, for example, using a tape to stick a corner of thesubstrate on which carbon nanotubes are formed and pulling it out in adirection perpendicular to the growth direction of the carbon nanotubes.At this time, the carbon nanotubes on the substrate are arranged in afilamentary manner due to Van Der Waal force, forming carbon nanotubefibers.

In addition, in step 104, depending on actual needs, carbon nanotubesmay be optionally pre-mixed with natural fiber materials, and thensubjected to the drawing process. In this way, carbon nanotube fiberswith natural fiber characteristics may be formed. The natural fibermaterial may be cotton, linen, wool, rabbit hair, silk, tencel orcoffee. For example, when carbon nanotubes are mixed with cotton,because the cotton has electrical conductivity (about 800 Scm²/g),abrasion resistance and antistatic properties, the carbon nanotubefibers formed by the drawing process may also have the abovecharacteristics. The diameter of the formed carbon nanotube fibers is,for example, between 5 nm and 100 nm. In addition, depending on thegrowth density of carbon nanotubes, the density of the formed carbonnanotube fibers is, for example, between 0.5 g/cm³ and 1.8 g/cm³.

Next, in step 106, the formed carbon nanotube fibers are subjected to aspinning process to form carbon nanotube fiber yarns. At this time, thecarbon nanotube fiber yarns may have various required characteristicsdepending on the components in the previously formed carbon nanotubefibers, which is not limited in the present invention. The spinningprocess is well known to those skilled in the art, and will not befurther described here. In addition, the formed carbon nanotube fiberyarns have a required diameter depending on the actual situation, whichis not limited in the present invention.

After that, in step 108, the formed carbon nanotube fiber yarns arewoven to form the fabric of the present invention. Depending on actualneeds, only the carbon nanotube fiber yarns of the present invention maybe used to manufacture the fabric of the present invention.Alternatively, the carbon nanotube fiber yarns of the present inventionand any existing yarns may be used together to manufacture the fabric ofthe present invention. This will be described below.

In the case of using only the carbon nanotube fiber yarns of the presentinvention to manufacture a fabric, the carbon nanotube fiber yarns ofthe present invention are used as warp yarns and weft yarns and aweaving process is performed, such that warp yarns and weft yarns areinterwoven to form a fabric. In other words, the material of warp yarnsis the same as that of weft yarns. As shown in FIG. 2, the carbonnanotube fiber yarns of the present invention are used as warp yarns 200and weft yarns 202, respectively, and the warp yarns 200 and weft yarns202 are interwoven to form a fabric 10. Depending on the actualapplication, the fabric 10 may have various weaving densities, which isnot limited in the present invention.

Since the entire of the fabric 10 is woven by using the carbon nanotubefiber yarns of the present invention, the fabric 10 has exactly the samecharacteristics as the carbon nanotube fiber yarns of the presentinvention. For example, depending on the characteristics of the carbonnanotube fiber yarns itself, fabric 10 made of only the carbon nanotubefiber yarns of the present invention may have good mechanical strength,stain resistance, ductility, conductivity, hydrophobicity, abrasionresistance, antistatic, and UV resistance. In addition, since carbonnanotubes are artificially synthesized material, they have lowermicrobial adhesion and inertness compared with natural material.Therefore, the toxin content in fabric 10 may be lower than that ofnatural material, and the fabric 10 is not easy to react with externalsubstances and cause deterioration.

In the case of using the carbon nanotube fiber yarns of the presentinvention and any existing yarns to manufacture a fabric, the carbonnanotube fiber yarns of the present invention are used as one of warpyarns and weft yarns and the any existing yarns are used as the other ofwarp yarns and weft yarns, and a weaving process is performed, such thatwarp yarns and weft yarns are interwoven to form a fabric. In otherwords, the material of warp yarns is different from that of weft yarns.As shown in FIG. 3, the carbon nanotube fiber yarns of the presentinvention are used as the warp yarns 200 and the any existing yarns areused as the weft yarns 204, and the warp yarns 200 and the weft yarns204 are interwoven to form the fabric 20. Depending on the actualapplication, the fabric 20 may have various weaving densities, which isnot limited in the present invention. Weft yarns 204 may be cotton fiberyarn, linen fiber yarn, wool fiber yarn, rabbit hair fiber yarn, silkfiber yarn, tencel fiber yarn, coffee fiber yarn, nylon fiber yarn,polyester fiber yarn, rayon fiber yarn, acrylic fiber yarn orpolyurethane fiber yarn. In addition, in this case, the diameter of thefibers constituting the weft yarns 204 is, for example, between 10 nmand 10⁶ nm.

Since the fabric 20 is woven by using the carbon nanotube fiber yarns ofthe present invention and the any existing yarns, the fabric 20 may havethe same characteristics as the fabric 10 and also have characteristicsas the any existing yarns. Therefore, the fabric 20 may better meet theactual needs and have a wider range of applications. To put it anotherway, compared with the general fabrics on the market, in addition totheir effects, the fabric 20 may also have the effect brought by thecarbon nanotube fiber yarns of the present invention.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that variousmodifications and variations may be made to the disclosed embodimentswithout departing from the scope or spirit of the disclosure. In view ofthe foregoing, it is intended that the disclosure covers modificationsand variations provided that they fall within the scope of the followingclaims and their equivalents.

What is claimed is:
 1. A manufacturing method of a fabric with carbonnanotube fibers, comprising: growing carbon nanotubes on a substrate;performing a drawing process to draw the carbon nanotubes to form carbonnanotube fibers; performing a spinning process to spin the carbonnanotube fibers to form carbon nanotube fiber yarns; and performing aweaving process to weave the carbon nanotube fiber yarns.
 2. The methodof claim 1, further comprising: performing a nitrogen doping or a borondoping during the growth of the carbon nanotubes.
 3. The method of claim1, further comprising: forming a metal layer on the surfaces of thecarbon nanotubes after forming the carbon nanotubes but before thedrawing process.
 4. The method of claim 3, wherein a method of formingthe metal layer comprises an electroplating process.
 5. The method ofclaim 1, further comprising: mixing the carbon nanotubes with naturalfiber material after forming the carbon nanotubes but before the drawingprocess.
 6. The method of claim 5, wherein the natural fiber materialcomprises cotton, linen, wool, rabbit hair, silk, tencel or coffee. 7.The method of claim 1, wherein the diameter of the carbon nanotubefibers is between 5 nm and 100 nm.
 8. The method of claim 1, wherein thedensity of the carbon nanotube fibers is between 0.5 g/cm³ and 1.8g/cm³.
 9. The method of claim 1, wherein the carbon nanotube fiber yarnsare used as one of the warp yarns and the weft yarns, and the materialof the weft yarns is different from the material of the warp yarnsduring the weaving process.
 10. The method of claim 9, wherein one ofthe warp yarns and the weft yarns comprises carbon nanotube fibers, andthe other of the warp yarns and the weft yarns comprises cotton fiberyarn, linen fiber yarn, wool fiber yarn, rabbit hair fiber yarn, silkfiber yarn, tencel fiber yarn, coffee fiber yarn, nylon fiber yarn,polyester fiber yarn, rayon fiber yarn, acrylic fiber yarn orpolyurethane fiber yarn.
 11. The method of claim 10, wherein thediameter of the fiber constituting the other of the warp yarns and theweft yarns is between 10 nm and 10⁶ nm.
 12. The method of claim 1,wherein the material of the weft yarns is the same as the material ofthe warp yarns.